


No choice but to adapt

by Mad_Amethyst



Series: Silver's Journey Through Darkness [1]
Category: Black Sails
Genre: Angst, Canon Disabled Character, Gen, POV John Silver, POV Third Person Limited, Post-Season/Series 02, Pre-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-08
Updated: 2016-03-08
Packaged: 2018-05-25 12:33:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6195277
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mad_Amethyst/pseuds/Mad_Amethyst
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After losing his leg, John couldn't lament if he wanted to be worth this ship and her crew.</p>
            </blockquote>





	No choice but to adapt

**Author's Note:**

> This story is part of a Black Sails challenge between [Sweety_Mutant](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Sweety_Mutant/pseuds/Sweety_Mutant) and me. You can read hers [there](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6188572/chapters/14179048)!
> 
> Rules: Seven sentences were picked up on this [dialogue generator](http://writingexercises.co.uk/dialogue-generator.php). Each chapter/part must have one of them in it (in the order we want) and be less than 1000 words.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Black Sails or its characters. I simply use them for my own pleasure. :)

It was a hard blow for him, losing his leg. It had never been part of his plan. Still now, he wondered why he had made this particularly bad choice that conducted him there. But what was the point? He could not go back in time, and his leg was not going to grow back. The only thing he could do now was adapting and surviving with this… disability.

So, he became part of this crew. For good. He took on the job of being their quartermaster. Even if it meant he had to give up his share of the Urca gold. Because, let’s be honest, anywhere else he would be just an invalid and nothing more. And it was a thought he could not stand. He deserved better than that.

John might be a poor warrior, but he was smart and observant. All his life, he had made his way through whatever stood in front of him, either by controlling minds or by running away when he knew the odds were against him. He was good at this little game. When he had two legs, at least… Now it was different… This part of his body they had cut off, it was more than just a limb to him. It was half his way of living. Without it, he was not the same. He felt diminished, weak… Feelings he had never experienced before…

That was why he felt like he had to prove something. To this crew. To their captain. By mostly to himself. He would prove he was still useful to them, even with only one leg. He would prove he was not the burden they had promised to take care of…

As soon as he could, he put on the boot and started to walk again, regardless of how it hurt. Dr Howell advised him again and again to use the crutches for a while first, as it was better for the wound’s healing, but he could not bear the idea of being seen with these pathetic tools. It only would make him look weak. He was the quartermaster of this crew. He had to look like it.

But standing on a moving deck, even with the boot, had become hard for him—particularly when the winds were strong. He tried not to put too much weight on his wound to avoid unnecessary pain by using everything in his reach as support. Despite it, he still had bad balance, and what was bound to happen finally happened. Too slow at catching something when the ship pitched, he lost his balance. By instinct, he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for the fall. But it never came. Instead, two strong arms took hold of his, and in a second he was standing on ‘his own two feet’ again. He opened his eyes and then he saw Billy, looking at him with a compassionate smile.

“It looks like you’re in trouble there. Can I help? Where are you heading?”

John gritted his teeth at the first question. He always hated this since, when others offered him their help. He could take care of himself, thank you!

“Back off,” he retorted with a glare, pushing the man with as much strength he could gather without falling backwards. Quickly, then, he grabbed the first rope he saw and put all of his weight on his foot to appease the pain on his left side. Jesus, it fucking hurt! “I can manage.”

He could see in his eyes that Billy was doubtful about it. But the first mate shrugged, anyway. “As you wish.”

With this, he was gone, and John sighed in relief. He could do it alone—or rather he _had_ to. Holding the rope tightly, he waited a few seconds, then he took a step forward, and another, and another. He anticipated the next sudden movements of the ship, careful not to risk falling again.

Sometime during his struggle, he felt an insistent look on him. He looked around for Billy, convinced it was him because of what happened earlier, but the man was busy talking with two crewmen. Intrigued, John continued his search, until he met the eyes in question. It was Captain Flint’s…  And of course, even caught in the act, the man did not look away… Tsk…

What was the captain thinking while staring at him like this? How pathetic and useless he had become? Did he regret the crew’s choice of making him their quartermaster? Well, John would show him he was worth it. He would show this man he could stand side by side with him, in spite of his missing leg. He would take the pain; he would take anything, as long as he achieved it.

**Author's Note:**

> The sentence used for this part was: "It looks like you're in trouble there. Can I help?"
> 
> Hope you liked it! If so, you can let me know with a kudo or a comment! ^^  
> Stay tuned for the next part! There will be more angst! :p


End file.
